Love is an action word. It is all about what I do. If I never said I love you, you should still know I do by my actions. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-8a I see what love is. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

I also see love as empathetic, as seen in Romans 12:15. I believe it is calling for empathy because it says “with” and not “for.” Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

How I distinguish sympathy and empathy is that sympathy allows me to feel what another feels, even though I may not understand or have ever experienced anything like it. Whereas empathy puts me in their shoes. I not only feel what they feel, but I, more than likely, have had a similar experience which gives me the ability to not only feel but to also understand.